


Here's To Us

by Banana_Phone



Series: Stand By Me [2]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Discussion of Abortion, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-03-17 11:26:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18964303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Banana_Phone/pseuds/Banana_Phone
Summary: Penny's in trouble and the only one who she feels like she can turn to is Molly. How will they keep everything a secret in such a small town?





	1. Prologue

Leaning against his motorcycle, Sebastian inhaled deeply from his cigarette as he watched the doors of the women's clinic located in Zuzu City. Hoping that he hadn’t missed Molly entering, he was determined to stop her, wondering how she could even consider something like this. **  
**

Sam had wandered off what seemed like ages ago, leaving him alone with his spinning thoughts. Pregnant. Molly hadn’t even bothered to tell him. And for what reason? He had no idea. He felt like he would be able to help take care of a baby; didn’t Molly? Was she worried that he would just think she was trying to trap him?

He sighed, placing the spent butt of his cigarette into Sam’s plastic Joja Cola bottle with the rest of the growing collection of the signs of his nervousness,and screwed the cap back on. Reaching into his pocket for a new cigarette, his hand brushed against the soft velvet of the ring box that was being kept there. He hoped his detour to buy it didn’t make him miss his girlfriend going in, but he had gotten there long before the appointment time scribbled down of the scrap of paper.

“Check it out!” Sam said, coming from nowhere and startling Sebastian into dropping his pack of cigarettes from his numb fingers. Sebastian gave Sam a dirty look as he bent to pick up the pack. Sam, beginning to dig into the paper bag he was holding, didn’t notice and began pulling items out. “I got this little onesie…” Sam held up a bright yellow baby onesie that had a pair of sunglasses and proclaimed ‘If you think I’m cool, you should meet my Uncle!’ “And I got this little toy…” He draped the onesie over his shoulder before taking out a tiny plastic guitar that had buttons that played music when you pushed them. “It says age three months and up, but he can grow into it… Or she!” Sebastian stood blankly looking at his friend as he continued to go through the bag, obviously less nervous about becoming Uncle Sam that Sebastian was feeling about becoming Daddy.

Catching a glimpse of blue from the corner of his eye, Sebastian whipped his head around, seeing his girlfriend round the side of the building, coming from the parking lot at the side. Pushing away from his bike without a word to his babbling friend, Sebastian began the hurried walk to cut off the young woman before she could reach the door.

Careful not to slip on the icy front steps leading up from the curb, he called out her name, making her stop dead in her tracks at the sound, looking shocked as she saw him, Sebastian finally noticed that she had brought Penny along with her. So, Penny knew and never even told Sam? Or did Sam know and not tell him? Some friend. Sprinting up the last of the icy steps, he wheezed slightly after the half pack of cigarettes he had just smoked.

“Molly,” He gasped.

“Sebastian, what in the hell–?”

“Please,” he gasped again, hearing the crunch of snow behind him as Sam joined him. “Don’t talk, just listen. I’m sorry, if I made you feel like you needed to do this because of my stupid comments about you trying to trap me or something, but that’s not the case, I swear… Holy shit… I gotta quit smoking,” He wheezed. “I will! I am going to stop smoking. And… I’ll stop smoking pot and I’ll do everything it takes to make sure you’re happy and well taken care of, but Molly, please don’t kill our baby.” Molly’s face fell from confusion to shock.

“Wh–”

“And, I get it: the whole small town thing. I grew up in Pelican Town, I know how it can be, and there’ll be rumors anyway, but at least we can fend them off if we’re married.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Molly,” Sebastian said, taking her hand and getting down on one knee, pulling the ring box from his pocket in one fluid movement. “Will you marry me?”

“Sebastian!” The look on Molly’s face caught him completely off guard. It was a mixture of disbelief and horror. “You goddamn idiot!” She yanked her hand away from him, making his stomach drop out in fear and shock. “Get up!” She commanded. “People can see you.”

“I don’t care!” he replied, angrily, as he stood and brushed the dirty snow from one knee. “I love you.”

“You just proposed to me outside of a woman’s clinic!”

“Because I don’t want you to go through with this! I don’t know why you couldn’t even tell me!”

“Sebastian, I am not pregnant!”

“…W-What?” Sebastian stammered. “You’re not?”

“No!” Molly replied in exasperation.

“But… I found the note with the appointment details and you’re here… Why are you here if you aren’t pregnant?”

“I am,” came the soft voice of Penny from behind Molly. All eyes turned to look at her.

“Penny?” Sam mumbled clutching the shopping bag he was still holding close to his chest. She looked to her feet as she attempted to find words.


	2. The Stardew Valley Fair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A season before the prologue...

“So,” Sam began as he stood with his best friend outside of the Stardrop Saloon, the small bar and grill located in the center of their tiny community. “It’s been a couple of weeks. How’s the whole living together thing?” Sebastian shrugged, flipping his raven hair out of his face.

“I spent most of my shower this morning listening to Molly bitch about her period through a mouthful of toothpaste,” he commented, taking a drag from the cigarette he was holding while Sam made a disgusted face at him. “So, about how I expected,” he finished, exhaling smoke through his nose and giving the butt of the cigarette a flick with his thumb.

“Gross!”

“I know. I keep telling her to spit of the toothpaste before talking, but she never does,” Sebastian continued on, knowing full well that Sam was not grossed out by toothpaste.

“Not that… the other thing… eww…”

“Seriously?” Sebastian groaned. Sam had turned twenty-six years old the previous season and it boggled Sebastian’s mind how the blond man that loomed over him could still be immature enough that he couldn’t handle the mention of a period. “How do you still have a girlfriend?”

“Ya know, dude, it’s just not something that really comes up. If she starts to mention it, I just toss a candy bar her way and make a run for it,” Sam said, laughing at his own joke as Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Seriously though, that’s what you expected? Like… I dunno, I think about living with someone and I think, like… sex every night and having someone to bring you pop and snacks so you don’t have to pause your video game.”

“Wow…” Sebastian sighed, dumbfounded. “Sex every night? What am I? Superman?” He was saved from the further conversation that proved his best friend was an idiot, by his girlfriend emerging from around the corner of the saloon, a wide smile on her face and some kind of treat in her hand. He couldn’t help but giving her his own small smile as she approached.

They hadn’t been together that long. Only a season… sort of. They had started out being in a fake relationship together at the beginning of Summer. Now, halfway through Fall, they were living together and thoughts of getting married had already clawed their way into his brain. Not that he was ready to act on those thoughts yet. He was perfectly content with exactly the way things were.

“Hiding again?” she teased, bumping her shoulder against his.

“Eh, it’s just kinda hectic today, so I thought I’d just hang out over here for a while.”

“Yeah, sure,” she smirked, spooning up a bit of what appeared to be ice cream wrapped in a funnel cake cone.

Throwing his cigarette butt on the ground and snuffing it out with the toe of his shoe, he looked up from his feet and was met with the steely gaze of his girlfriend. “What?”

“You know what,” she stated. Sebastian couldn’t help but laugh at her. One hand holding a melting ice cream in a poor choice of a cone and the other on her hip and giving him her best disappointed-girlfriend glare.

“Come on, there are tons of tourists here leaving their trash everywhere,” Sebastian stated, only to be met with stony silence. “…And I have to live here! Which is why I’m going to just pick this up now.” He bent and picked the flattened cigarette butt from the dirt as Sam laughed loudly before making the sound of a cracking whip with his mouth. Rolling his eyes, he turned back to Molly, her blue hair shining in the evening sun.

“Thank you, sweetie,” she cooed, placing a delicate kiss on his cheek. He groaned, avoiding eye contact with his best friend.

“Ahh, my O.T.P.” Sam gushed, dramatically. “Being all cute and shit.”

“Sam, when are you going to stop with the O.T.P. stuff?” Molly sighed with a small grin.

Ever since Molly had moved to town, Sam had been trying to push her together with Sebastian, going so far as to dub them his O.T.P., or one true pair. He had said they were too perfect for each other not to be together and was by far their number one fan. He, however, was a terrible matchmaker, with neither Molly nor Sebastian knowing he had been trying to set them up, and actually coming together on their own by sheer coincidence.

“I will never stop!” Sam insisted, emphasizing each word with a clap of his hands. Molly laughed as Sebastian rolled his eyes again.

“Where’s Penny?” Molly questioned, turning her attention back to her rapidly melting treat.

“She had to pee again,” Sam replied with a shrug. “I swear that woman has a bladder the size of a walnut… But, that was a while ago, so she either fell in or she’s been distracted by the wheel of chance.”

Shaking her head, Molly took a bite from her funnel cake cone. It was a little soggy from the melting ice cream,  making her wish that she had eaten it faster. Or had gotten the deep fried Ozeros cookies. Those had also smelled delicious.

Standing by the two men, she was assaulted with a wide variety of sounds and smells from the annual Stardew Valley Fair. Smells of deep-fried foods mingled with the smells of the livestock from their pens, where they were being shown off to the out of towners that had shown up for the fair. The sounds of music coming from the carnival that Mayor Lewis had invested in this year, could be easily heard alongside the laughter and chatter of patrons and the yells of the game booth operators trying to coax people into handing over their money.

“Do you want a bite?” Molly asked, finally looking up at her boyfriend, who had turned and seemed to be watching the sun sinking below the mountains. His gaze shifted to her, and then to her melty treat and he cocked an eyebrow.

“I’m good,” he replied. “That thing looks like diabetes.”

“Oh, it’s not that bad.”

“Whatever,” he shrugged in return. “If you go into a coma, I’m not taking you to Harvey. You’ll have to walk there yourself.”

“But…” Molly stammered with a frown. “If I’m in a coma, how…?” Molly trailed off. Taking a few steps away from the two men, she approached the metal trash can beside the Stardrop, picked up the lid, and dropped her treat in with a wet plop. Rubbing her fingers together, she realized how sticky they were from the ice cream that had dripped over them, and pulled a face, before an idea crept into her head as she made her way back to the men. Approaching her boyfriend, she casually wrapped her arms around his middle, knowing that he wasn’t a huge fan of public displays of affection anyway. “Hey,” she smiled, pulling him close and rubbing his back. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

“You’re using me for a napkin, aren’t you?” He asked in a deadpan tone.

“Yeah, maybe a little,” She giggled as he sighed heavily at her. He placed his hands on either side of her head, pressing a kiss against her forehead before pushing her away. She laughed mischievously as she stumbled back a few steps. “I’m going to go see the fortune teller, do you wanna come?”

“Are you seriously going to waste your money on that?” Sebastian grumbled. “It’s all just generic fortunes that could fit anybody that hears them.”

“I know!” Molly insisted. “It’s just for fun.”

“Nah, I’ll just stay here and have Sam tell my fortune.”

“Suit yourself,” Molly giggled again, turning on her heel to begin making her way toward the fortune teller’s tent.

“Hmm... I see Molly,” Sam began, humming dramatically between statements. “She’s in a white dress. A wedding! Oh, you look very nice too, Seb…” Molly chuckled softly, hearing Sebastian sigh in annoyance as she walked out of earshot.

Making her way south to the graveyard, where Welwick, the locally famous fortune teller from television, had set up a tent, she passed several booths selling everything from homemade jewelry to wall tapestries. Playing with the idea of getting Sebastian something he might like, she continued down the path leading past Mayor Lewis’ house, while wondering what her boyfriend would even like.

She paused as she approached her turn for the graveyard, seeing a familiar red-haired figure standing alone on the bridge leading to the beach. She appeared to be deep in thought as she played absently with her necklace while staring at nothing. Molly, never one to leave someone alone when they looked troubled, decided to make a detour from her route.

“Hey Penny!” she called out as she approached the bridge, making the young woman jump slightly as she was ripped away from her thoughts. Looking to who had called for her, a small smile graced her lips without reaching her eyes.

“Hello Molly,” she greeted in return. “Are you having fun?”

“Yeah, I’m loving the fair!” Molly stated with her usual broad smile. “What’re you doing all the way over here, though?”

“I just wanted to get away for a moment,” Penny shrugged. “I was standing by Sam and all of the smells were beginning to mix together and it started making me feel sick.”

“I can see that,” Molly agreed. “I was on my way to the fortune teller’s tent. Do you want to come with me?”

“Sure,” Penny sighed, pushing herself away from the railing of the bridge and beginning to follow her blue-haired friend. “Why not?” 

“You seem like you’ve got something on your mind,” Molly stated after a moment.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Penny replied with a shake of her head. “Personal stuff, I guess. So, what do you think the fortune teller is going to tell you?” She continued on before Molly got a chance to speak, skillfully blocking any attempt she might have made at pursuing her line of questioning.

“Hopefully, that I’ll make a million gold from my pumpkins this season,” Molly sighed. “But, it’ll probably more along the lines of a general statement that could apply to anyone, according to Seb.”

“Do you believe in fortune tellers though?”

“Nah…”

“Why go then?” Penny laughed.

“For funsies,” Molly smiled as they approached the small, red and white striped tent that sat at the edge of the small town cemetery, a sign above the entrance reading  _ Welwic the Fortune Teller _ . Pulling back the flap of the tent, Molly gestured Penny inside. “After you!” Penny laughed, ducking her head as both women entered the tent.

It was cramped and hot inside the tent. And dark. It took a moment for the women’s eyes to adjust from being out in the mid-autumn sun, but when they did they saw an old woman hunched over a crystal ball, smiling a toothless smile at them.

“Welcome,” she croaked in a raspy voice, sounding like she had been breathing in too much of the smoke from the incense that burned inside the tent. The air was thick enough to make both women feel dizzy as they sat down in wooden folding chairs across the table from the old woman. “Congratulations,” she muttered dramatically looking to Penny. She blanched, her stomach dropping.

“For what?” Molly mused; too busy admiring the crushed velvet, purple tablecloth to notice her friend’s reaction.

“For finding your way to my tent,” Welwic replied, dramatically, turning her attention to the blue-haired woman, with a knowing smirk. “I’m sure you’ll find your visit to be most enlightening. Now… who wants to go first?” The women looked at each other.

“Go ahead, Molly,” Penny said, with a small smile, unsure if she even still wanted to have her fortune told in Molly’s presence.

“Okay,” she smiled. Welwick positioned herself across the round table from Molly, holding her hands on the table, palms up, on either side of a crystal ball. Molly didn’t move for a long moment, causing Welwic to curl her fingers at her.

“Come now,” she chuckled. “I won’t bite. I haven’t got any teeth.” Molly laughed nervously in return, placing her hands in the old woman’s. Sighing deeply, Welwic gazed at the crystal ball in front of her, allowing her eyes to go out of focus. She hummed, long and low. Molly glanced to Penny, hoping to share a giggle, but her friend seemed as intrigued with the crystal ball as the old woman was. “You will soon have to face your past,” she stated, mysteriously. “In more ways than one. I see conflict, both internal and external. You’ll deceive someone you love in order to help a friend in need. I see an unwelcome announcement, a rumor caused by mistake in identity, and a ring… that’s all for now. The crystal has faded.”

Molly slowly pulled her hands away from the old woman as she sat back in her chair. The reading had not been at all what she had expected. She had expected generalized statements like someone would find reading an online horoscope or from opening a cookie in a Chinese restaurant. What she had received had sounded almost genuine, but she had no idea what any of it meant.

“It sounds like I’m in for a bad time,” She tried to joke, but her voice betrayed her nerves with a slight wobble.

“Nothing is set in stone,” Welwick stated. “Your future is what you make it, and only your hands can change the outcome.” Turning her attention away from Molly, she gave Penny a reassuring smile. “Are you ready for your reading now, young lady?”

“Umm…” She hesitated, looking to her friend for reassurance. Molly only gave her a grin and a shrug. Looking back to the hunchbacked, old woman, Penny gave a sigh. “Yes.”

Adjusting herself to fully face the nervous looking woman, Welwick held out her hands for Penny to take. Her own hands shaking slightly, Penny placed her hands atop the boney and wrinkled, but also warm and dry, hands of Welwic. she hummed softly again as she stared into the crystal in front of her.

“You will soon be making a difficult decision,” she stated. “While I cannot tell you what you will decide, I will tell you that, in the end, everything turns out the way it should be. Withholding truths from your loved ones result in the same outcomes as lies. I see an unjustified opinion and tears. A brightly lit room and a cherished, black and white picture of a little girl… The crystal has, once again, faded.”

Penny sat stoically for a long moment before pulling her hands away from the elderly woman’s touch. Her mind, which had been filled with racing thoughts as of late anyway, was just given even more to process. She wished that the fortune teller had just given her one straight answer to the question that was buried in her brain instead of giving her riddles to solve on her own that might not even mean anything.

Before stepping back into the evening light, each woman dropped a handful of coins into a bowl and thanked the old woman for their reading. They let the tent flap close behind them before walking away from the graveyard without a word to each other. Penny spoke first as they approached Mayor Lewis’ house.

“What do you think all that meant?”

“Well, he mentioned a ring, so I’m hoping for something shiny to maybe put on this finger right here,” Molly joked, pointing to the third finger on her left hand. Penny chuckled softly. “It doesn’t mean anything,” Molly continued on, linking her arm with Penny’s. “It’s just a way to make us part with our gold. She could have said anything as long as it sounded dramatic and it would have sounded believable.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Penny sighed, attempting to sound more confident than she felt.

“Ah, right where we left them,” Molly laughed as she raised her free arm to wave at Sam and Sebastian, who were, indeed, standing exactly where she had seen them last.

“Hey, babe!” Sam beamed as he caught sight of Penny. He held out a fluffy, pink mass on a tube of cardboard. “I bought you some cotton candy! I made sure to get you the pink because I know you don’t like blue or purple.”

“Aww, thank you, sunny bunny,” she cooed, taking the cloud-like confectionery from him.

“Wait,” Molly said, confused. “Don’t all colors of cotton candy taste the same?”

“No,” Penny insisted, pulling off a bit of the fluff and popping in into her mouth.

“But…” Molly began before Sam caught her eye and shook his head. “…Okay.”

“What did the psychic have to say?” Sebastian asked with a small chuckle.

“Well, he did mention a ring…” Molly replied, suggestively with a teasing smile.

“Hmm, that sounds kinda expensive,” Sebastian replied with his own teasing smirk. “How about I just give you a nice back rub when we get home instead?”

“Fine,” Molly sighed, dramatically.

“See,” Sam commented. “Molly’s fine with just getting back rubs!”

“Your back rubs are never just back rubs, Samson,” Penny scolded, pulling off another hunk of cotton candy.

“Neither are Seb’s,” Molly teased, causing Sebastian to give a coy grin and turn a light shade of pink.

“Come on,” Sam laughed. “They finally turned on all the lights on the rides. Let’s go on some!”

“That will not be happening!” Penny stated, matter-of-factly. “Those things are just piles of rust, safety hazards, and inattentive ride operators. No, thank you.”

“The uncertainty of death is what makes them so much fun!” Sam pleaded.

“Come on, Sebby,” Molly said, taking her boyfriend by the hand. “You can kiss me at the top of the Ferris wheel.”

“Good luck, Sam,” he chuckled as he let himself be led away.

The sounds of carnival music grew louder as they came closer to the rides that had been erected in the town square. The lights on the rides twinkled in the dusky light, creating a sense of magical wonder. Laughter and squeals of delight could be heard over the music from the tourist that had come for the fair.

“There are so many people here!” Molly observed.

“I blame you and your idea to fix the bus,” Sebastian replied, glowering as a tourist bumped into him.

It was true. The first week of Summer, Molly had discovered that Sebastian knew a thing or two about mechanics and got it into her head to get the decrepit bus up and running again. And, with the help from her brother, who was visiting from out of town, Sebastian got the bus working in only a couple of days.

“But think of all the revenue that is coming in from all these people!” Molly gushed, smiling at his surly face. “Maybe it’ll be enough to fix up something else in town!”

“I don’t give a fu–“

“Molly!” a man’s voice cut off Sebastian’s profanity. Looking up, they both saw Mayor Lewis waving. Returning the wave, Molly began to walk in his direction, dragging her boyfriend behind her.

“Hi Lewis,” she greeted, brightly as they approached.

“I’ve been looking for you, young lady,” Lewis replied with a chuckle. “Congratulations on second place in the grange display contest!”

“Yay!” Molly squealed, clapping her hands together in delight. “What did I win?”

“Five hundred star tokens!” he stated, handing over a heavy cloth bag. “Don’t spend them all in one place. And don’t forget to clear out your display box.”

“Thanks, Lewis!” Molly said happily as she looked into the cloth bag, Mayor Lewis walking away with a wave.

“What a shitty prize,” Sebastian commented once Lewis was out of earshot.

“No, it’s not!” Molly defended, clutching the bag protectively against her chest.

“Ok, well, what are you planning on doing with all your winnings?” he asked, not wanting to further hurt her feelings by making fun of the prize that she was obviously proud of. His band, the Pelicans, had won third place in the Battle of the Bands competition held in Zuzu City, just the week before. As upset as he was that they didn’t win, Molly still made him feel like as much of a rock star as he would have felt if they had won first place.

“I’m going to give them to you,” she smirked.

“Oh yeah?”

“And you’re going to go win me a prize!” she continued, holding out the bag to him as he groaned.

“Can’t we go home yet?” he whined. “I’m tired and done peopling today.”

“Pweese,” she baby talked, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout. “I weally want dat big Junimo bean bag.”

Sebastian sighed in annoyance, snatching the bag from his girlfriend’s hand. Unfortunately for him, he had always had a nasty habit of not being able to tell her no. Molly knew this. At least she didn’t abuse his weakness… too often, anyway.

“Go!” he commanded holding out an arm in the direction of the game booths allowing her to skip happily past him.

“Besides,” She proclaimed, turning to face him, walking backward with a broad smile on her face as he begrudgingly dragged his feet after her. “You can show me how good you are at the slingshot game. You and Sam said how easy it is.”

“It is easy,” he muttered, not feeling as confident in his abilities now that he needed to win the game. And, he mused to himself, the faster he won the big, green Junimo plush, the faster they could go home.

It took the better part of an hour, all of Molly’s prize winnings, and a fistful of his own gold to win the giant beanbag that Molly had so desperately wanted. He couldn’t help smiling at her silliness, however, as they walked the dirt road back toward the farm. Too big to fit her arms around, she was forced to balance the giant Junimo on her head as he took care of pushing the wheelbarrow full of the crops she had shown in her grange display.

Parking the wheelbarrow next to the sell bin, Sebastian hurried up the front porch stairs to help Molly with the door. It took some squeezing and maneuvering to get the green mass through the door, but with a final pull from Molly on one side and push from Sebastian on the other, the Junimo popped free and rolled into the house.

Holding out a hand to help his girlfriend off the floor, where the bean bag had knocked her, she accepted his hand, allowing him to pull her up with a laugh.

“I love it!” she proclaimed, walking to it and beginning to maneuver it where she wanted it. Satisfied at the placement near the couch, she made a mischievous look at Sebastian. Leaping into the air, she canon balled herself into the center of the bean bag, sinking in deeply. The laugh that came from her was contagious and soon Sebastian was laughing just as much as he watched her attempt to disentangle herself.

“Do you need help?” He laughed, coming to help her.

“It ate me!” she proclaimed, finally finding her way into a normal seated position. He offered his hand to her once again, but instead of allowing him to help her up; she pulled him down onto the bag with her.

Eventually, their laughter died away, leaving them in the peaceful quiet of their home, snuggled up together and talking quietly.

 


	3. An Unwelcome Announcement

Sitting in the passenger seat of her car, Molly hit a button on her radio. And then another. And another. She’d choose a radio station, listen for a few seconds and then try another, searching for something good to listen to. 

“Will you just fucking pick something and stick with it?” Sebastian finally snapped after listening to the same handful of stations get scanned through for what seemed like an eternity.

“Jeez, Mr. Grumpy-pants…” Molly mumbled, sitting back in her seat, the radio coming to a rest on an early morning talk show. 

“Well, fuck, why do we even have an AUX cable if we’re not going to use it?”

“Sorry,” Molly muttered, picking up her phone to continue the game she had been playing. Sebastian sighed. He didn’t mean to be so snappy at his girlfriend, but he was tired. By the time he had finished his coding module the night before, he had decided that it was late enough that he should just stay up. In the darkness of the early morning, he had wandered outside to smoke a cigarette and decided to water Molly’s crops for her, to make her job a little easier for the day. She gushed at how much she appreciated the help when she woke up, though he was now regretting the lack of sleep. 

“Will you look up where the closest coffee shop is?” he requested in a tired grumble. 

“I don’t know how you’re not having heart palpitations with as much coffee as you’ve already had this morning,” Molly teased, not looking up from her phone, but closing her game to bring up the GPS.

“I’m tired,” he grumbled again, one hand steering Molly’s grey hatchback, the other supporting his head with his elbow pressed against the window. Molly looked up at him while the app loaded its settings, and gave her own tired smile. 

The sun had completely risen in the sky, lifting the last tendrils of fog from the road they had been driving on for the last hour. Sebastian had pulled his dark sunglasses over his eyes as they made their way from Pelican Town into the sunrise toward Zuzu City. They were on their way to spend a long weekend with Molly’s family. Having never had the best experiences with most of her family, she was nervous. Her brother Simon’s wife, Beth, had recently had the latest addition to their family and wanted everyone to come to meet the new baby in the way of a family reunion. 

“There’s an Aroma’s pretty close,” Molly stated looking back to her phone and touching the link on the screen.

“I’ll take it,” came the mumbled reply.

“Starting route to Aroma’s Coffee House,” came the robotic voice of the GPS. “In two miles, use the right lane to take exit…” 

Molly turned her head to stare out the window, holding her phone on her lap so that Sebastian could hear the directions to the coffee shop coming from the small speaker. Watching the traffic of the Zuzu City Freeway and the distant buildings of Zuzu City itself, Molly returned to her nervous thinking. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t love her family, because she did. Her brother and his wife were always there for her when she needed them. And their kids were constantly spoiled by Aunt Molly. But as for the rest of the family… She’d be happy if the weekend didn’t involve the police getting called. 

Sighing quietly as Sebastian took the exit he needed, she scolded herself for being so dramatic. It had been a number of years since the whole family was in the same place at the same time and maybe, just maybe, they had all been able to grow as people and things wouldn’t get blown completely out of proportion as they had frequently done in the past. And at least this time, she’d have her boyfriend with her as a distraction and to help keep her grounded. 

She switched off the GPS as the car pulled into the drive-through of a large cafe with a green and white sign and looked to her boyfriend, who was staring irritably out his window as the car in front of them ordered. 

“Pumpkin spice this, pumpkin spice that,” he grumbled, looking at a sign that displayed the wide variety of pumpkin-themed food and beverages. “Man, do I get so sick of these seasonal fads, year after year.”

“I feel ya,” Molly replied, looking over the sign herself as she rested her cheek against his shoulder, feeling the softness of the black hoodie he wore.”It just gets so old.” Removing his hand from the steering wheel, he reached out and entwined his fingers with hers. 

“What do you want?” he asked quietly, removing his foot from the brake and inching his way forward to the speaker box. 

“Pumpkin spice latte,” she smiled.

“Are you fucking serious?” he groaned. 

“I like pumpkin!” she laughed, sitting back up in her seat. “Extra shot, add whip cream!” He rolled his eyes dramatically as the way too caffeinated barista greeted him and asked for his order.

____________________________________________________________________________ 

“Nice digs,” Sebastian commented, leaning on the roof of the car and pushing his sunglasses on top of his head. 

“Yeah,” Molly replied, stepping out of the car and taking in the property with awe. “Simon is making a nice salary now.” Simon, Molly’s older brother, had just become the new Senior Vice President of Operations for the First Ferngill Bank and Trust, and his new position had moved him from their hometown of Ahamo to the suburbs of Zuzu City. 

“What’s Beth doing now?” Sebastian questioned as he watched Molly shut her door and make her way to the back of the car.

“She got a new job,” Molly replied, opening the hatch as Sebastian closed his door to join her. “One of the high schools in Zuzu, teaching biology.”

“Nice,” he said, grabbing the black duffle bag containing all their things for the weekend by the strap and slinging it over his shoulder as Molly scooped up a stack of nicely wrapped gifts. Making sure she was out of the way, he reached up and pulled the hatch door down and closed it with a bang. “You alright?” he asked as he heard the small sigh escape his girlfriend as they began to make their way up the front walk toward the door. Besides her brother and his family, Molly didn’t talk about her family too much. She had a relationship with her sister that could only be described as obligatory. Her father was an alcoholic and her mother was abusive and had bipolar disorder. These facts were all that Sebastian knew about Molly’s family. 

“Yeah,” Molly replied with a small smile. “Just nervous.”

“Don’t be,” he stated, reaching out with his free hand and stroking her back. “It’s just your family and I’m here too.”

“Yeah…” Molly sighed again as Sebastian rang the doorbell. “Those two things are why I’m nervous.” Sebastian looked at her, concerned for a moment before a blurry shape appeared on the opposite side of the frosted glass of the door. 

“Hey!” Beth beamed as she opened the door. She looked exhausted, a look all new parents have. Her dark hair was pulled into a sloppy ponytail and she appeared to have spit-up on her shoulder. “Come on in!” 

“This place is so nice,” Molly gushed as they stepped over the threshold.

“I know, I love it so much,” Beth laughed, not allowing her tiredness to dampen her good spirits. She continued to talk as she led the pair out of the small foyer where they had removed their shoes. “It’s got five bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, fireplaces on the upper and lower floors, open concept floor plan,” Beth spread her arms wide as she entered the main room of the house.

“Wow,” Molly gushed, stretching out the word as Sebastian made a low whistle and they both looked around. “This must’ve cost a fortune!” 

“It’s definitely an upgrade from what we had before,” Beth smiled. “Come on, I’ll show you where you guys can put your stuff.” 

“I have presents!” Molly grinned, lifting the packages in her arms slightly. 

“Molly, we didn’t need anything,” Beth sighed with a smile, knowing her sister in law well enough to already know that even if she had told her not to bring gifts, she still would have. Molly gave a dramatic shrug and set the pile on the kitchen island.

“Let me spoil my babies, I never get to see them anymore,” Molly replied, referring to her niece and nephew. Beth simply chuckled lightly, leading the pair toward a flight of stairs leading down. 

“You two, unfortunately, don’t get your own room,” She said as they stepped onto the lower floor. “But you get the den, so you have your own TV and fireplace.”

“Ooo, romantic,” Molly teased with a look to Sebastian, who just rolled his eyes with a small smile. 

“No door,” reminded Beth with a laugh. 

“Yeah, Seb, so control yourself!” 

“Me?” Sebastian demanded, incredulously, making Molly snort.

“So… who else is here?” Molly asked tentatively after a moment. 

“Right now, just me, Katie, and June,” Beth replied with a smile. Molly appeared to melt slightly.

“June,” she cooed, both hands coming to rest over her heart. 

“Do you want to meet your new niece?” Beth asked, rhetorically. 

“Yes!” Molly practically squealed, as Sebastian gave an amused shake of his head and set the duffle bag down heavily at the end of the leather sectional before following his skipping girlfriend back upstairs.

____________________________________________________________________________

Sebastian couldn’t help but grin as he watched Molly hold her new niece. Sure, she had been holding her new niece for most of the day, but Sebastian still found it strangely sweet the way she would baby talk and make faces at the small, red potato that was wrapped up in pink blankets. Deciding that he was just getting soft, he vowed to start eating more spicy food or working out; doing manly things.

Molly’s older niece, Katie, took the role of big sister very seriously. The smallest squeaks from June would bring her three-year-old sister running to make sure everything was alright. Sebastian remembered back to when Maru had been born. He had been fascinated by her, but Demetrius had always made him keep his distance, not wanting his little girl to be even accidentally hurt.

Molly sat in a big Sleepy-Boy recliner, slowly rocking the baby in her arms, while Katie and Lucas played at her feet with the new toys that their aunt had brought them: a My First Veterinarian Kit, which came with everything a little girl could ever need to take care of her stuffed animals, for Katie. Molly had even included a stuffed chicken to replace a real chicken that Katie had fallen in love with at Molly’s farm, but couldn’t bring home. For Lucas, a set of mini cars and a plastic, spiral track to race them. He was choosing to make the cars crash into each other, however. 

“Dad’s back!” Beth’s voice carried from when she stood in the kitchen, cutting vegetables for a snack tray.

“Daddy!” Katie squealed as she stood up and ran for the front door in one fluid motion. Sebastian looked to Molly, who only leaned her head to press her lips to the baby’s tiny red forehead. Standing, she made her way toward the small bassinet that was set up in the living room for baby June, and carefully laid the slumbering baby inside.

Standing up straight, she gave her boyfriend a nervous smile. Simon had gone to the airport to pick up other family members that live further away. Now he was back and Molly looked a little pale with nerves. 

“Don’t throw up,” Sebastian teased. “It’s not that bad.”

“Please don’t break up with me after this.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes and made an annoyed sound as Molly turned toward the sound of the opening front door. A cacophony of sound followed as arguing voices filled the house along with luggage being jostled inside. 

“An entire airplane and they sat me next to you,” a female voice complained.

“Oh, grow up, Barbara,” came a gruff, man’s voice. “You’re not even through the damn door yet and you’re making everyone feel uncomfortable.”

“I am not!” 

Sebastian was taken aback as the owner of the voice crossed the threshold into the living room, dragging a large suitcase behind her. It could only be Molly’s mother. The two were almost identical, except that Molly’s mother was much older, her hair going gray and wrinkles formed on her face. 

“Let’s all just calm down before we wake up the baby,” Simon said gently as more people made their way into the living room.

“Why? I’m just going to pick my grandbaby up as soon as I find her anyway,” Molly’s mother commented.

“Hey, there’s my Molly-moo,” said an older man with a gray mustache and slicked back salt and pepper hair. 

“Hi dad,” Molly replied with a heavy sigh and a small smile. Sebastian knew that she hated that nickname, yelling at her sister before for using it. Apparently, however, she seemed unwilling to correct her father as she closed the distance between them and let her father wrap her in a tight embrace. 

“If everyone is here, does that mean we can finally eat?” Lucas demanded, forgetting his manners. 

“Lucas!” Simon scolded. 

 

_________________________________________________________________

“Blessed Yoba, we thank you for this food we’re about to receive,” Molly’s father, Jerry, prayed, as Sebastian sat awkwardly staring down at his plate of food. “Thank you for allowing this family to keep growing, and we thank you that we all arrived at our destination safely and could all be together tonight, as a family, to partake in this meal. Blessed Yoba, grant us peace as we venture forth into the weekend and may we all find happiness in each other’s presence. In your name, we pray. Amen.”

The rest of the table echoed a mumbled amen in return as Sebastian straightened his spine with a relieved sigh. He wasn’t religious. His grandparents had taken him to church years ago when he was still a little kid, but as an adult, he found the idea of talking with an invisible sky man as absurd as still writing to Santa Claus. 

“Well, Molly,” Jerry said as he began to put butter on a dinner roll. “How’s the farm?”

“It’s good!” Molly replied happily. “I have a field of pumpkins that are going to be ready just in time for Spirit’s Eve, so that’ll be a nice big profit that should last me through winter.”

“And, uhh… uhh…” Jerry stuttered, stirring the air with his knife as he searched for a name. “Your boyfriend.”

“Sebastian,” Molly smiled, filling in the blank.

“Right,” Jerry said, turning to Sebastian. “Sorry, Sport, I’m terrible with names.” In all Sebastian’s years on the planet, he didn’t think he had ever earned the nickname Sport from anybody. 

“It’s alright,” Sebastian replied without making eye contact.

“Sebastian here helps you out around the farm, I take it?” Jerry finished. 

“I’m sure I can talk him into helping during the harvest,” Molly giggled. “But Seb isn’t very outdoorsy.” 

“What is it you do for work, Sport?” 

Sebastian cleared his throat. If he was going to be called Sport all weekend, it was going to get really old, really fast. Looking to Molly, who shot him a quick wink and an encouraging grin, he decided to ignore the annoying nickname for the sake of staying on Molly’s parents’ good side.

“I’m a freelance computer programmer,” he replied, finally making eye contact with the older man seated at the head of the table. 

“Freelance? What’s that? You don’t work for free do you?” Jerry chuckled at his own joke.

“You know, I told Molly she should go into computers,” Barbara interrupted. “Even years ago, I told her that’s where the money would be. Do you know what she wanted to do? Be a paleontologist.” 

“I like dinosaurs,” Molly said sheepishly as Sebastian looked to her with a grin. 

“I didn’t know that,” he replied quietly as Barbara began to speak again. 

“I told her ‘how’re you going to have a family?’ I could just see her out there with a baby strapped to her back trying to dig up dinosaur bones. We didn’t have to worry though. She flunked out of basic geology.”

“You know what? Telling different kinds of rocks apart is hard, okay,” Molly pouted as she scooped up a fork full of mashed potatoes. 

“She eventually listened to me though and chose a more realistic career,” Molly’s mother continued. 

“Yeah, that business degree is really coming in handy,” Molly grumbled sarcastically. 

“Well, nobody forced you to go to that old farm!” Barbara spat. 

“Well, hey, at least you didn’t pursue that dream of becoming a stripper,” Simon teased, lightening the situation and bringing a laugh to Molly’s lips.

“That would have never worked out,” Molly replied as she turned to Sebastian. “I’m fat and can’t dance.” He smiled as he rolled his eyes. 

“If you would have stayed with Daniel, you wouldn’t have had to move to that shit hole,” Molly’s mother stated, referring to Molly’s ex-fiance. 

“Well, I didn’t want to stay with Daniel,” Molly spat.

“My family’s farm is not a shit hole!” Jerry insisted, vehemently. “Evans Farm has been in this family for six generations and I’m proud that it’s not sitting empty anymore.”

“If you were so concerned with it sitting empty, why didn’t you take it over?”

“I’m disabled, Barbara!” 

“Please…” Barbara scoffed. “Being a lazy drunk isn’t a disability.”

“I’ll have you know that I haven’t touched a drink since we got divorced,” Jerry continued in annoyance. “I haven’t needed to, but I might need one this weekend.”

“Dad, no…” Molly pleaded quietly. 

“Besides that, Dad left the farm to Simon,” Molly’s father concluded. 

“And Simon didn’t want the farm because…?” Barbara pressed.

“Because I have a real j--” Simon stopped himself from saying a real job as he made eye contact with his younger sister. “Uhh… another job… Besides Molly needed the farm.”

“Yeah, so she could run away from her problems instead of working through them.”

“Can we talk about something else?” Molly pleaded, seemingly embarrassed. 

“Like that time Molly got totally drunk on that camping trip, declared that she was a mermaid, and jumped into the lake?” Simon laughed.

“Oh god… No,” Molly begged.

“She refused to come out for 3 hours,” Beth continued in a mock whisper to Sebastian. 

“Please stop,” Molly begged again, burying her crimson face into her hands.

“And that’s the story of why Molly is no longer allowed to drink tequila,” Simon concluded with a laugh.

“None of you should be drinking at all,” Jerry grumbled in his low gravelly voice. “Alcohol will mess up all your lives.”

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black…” Barbara muttered. 

“I’m allowed to warn my children of my experiences!” 

Further conversation was paused with the ringing of the doorbell. 

“That must be Darla,” Simon said as Beth excused herself to answer the door. Sebastian reached out under the table and gave Molly’s knee a loving and supportive squeeze. Sighing heavily, her hand came to rest atop his, squeezing him back. Sharing a small grin with his girlfriend, he made a mental note to ask Molly about her mermaid adventures before taking a drink from his glass of water.

“So, Sebastian,” Barbara asked casually. “How long have you been sleeping with my daughter?” Sebastian almost choked and began to violently cough, gasping for air.

“Mom!” Molly exclaimed, horrified. Sebastian sat, regaining his breath as everyone in the room started to talk at once. They were all halted by Beth reentering the room with Darla and a Young man.

“Wow, what have I missed?” Darla asked, seemingly amused.

“Mom and dad fighting and Molly getting embarrassed because Sebastian can see the craziness we grew up in.”

“Oh, I’m sure it hasn’t gotten that bad yet,” Darla laughed. “But speaking of boyfriends…” She linked her arm through the young, blond-haired man’s arm that had come in with her. “This is Jonas… We’re getting married!” The room erupted in spoken congratulations, but Sebastian noticed that Jonas didn’t seem particularly thrilled at the idea. Shrugging it off to being nerves, he turned his eyes to Beth as she began speaking. 

“I didn’t know you were seeing anyone, Darla,” She said with a smile. “Have you set a date yet?”

“Well, we’re going to do it soon, before I’m too big to fit into a dress… I’m pregnant!” 

“What?” Molly practically shouted in shocked disbelief. 

________________________________________________________________________

Sebastian took a long drag from his cigarette, holding the smoke in his lungs for a brief moment before exhaling the cloud into the chill night air. He didn’t know where Molly was, but she knew she was upset, having left the dining room with glassy eyes.

After her shout, Sebastian watched as Molly attempted to keep her composure while she was scolded by her mother for not being happy for her little sister. When Molly had finally heard enough about how if she had stayed with her ex-fiance, she wouldn’t be an old maid now, she excused herself, her mother yelling after her.

“Yeah, go have your little Molly meltdown somewhere else,” she had yelled at her daughter’s back. “If you’re going to act like that, I don’t even want to look at you!” 

Sebastian had immediately gotten up to follow his girlfriend, but she had instantly been able to disappear in the vastness of her brother’s new house. After giving up his search, he resigned himself to simply stepping outside to smoke and be alone with his thoughts. 

Being in the company of Molly’s family for the past few hours had made him realize why Molly was so nervous to introduce them. Molly’s father, like her brother, seemed like a genuinely nice person. Although, he seemed to have a wildly exaggerated story for every topic and seemed keen on befriending Sebastian, for whatever reason. 

Molly’s mother was, in Sebastian’s opinion, neurotic and mean. She always seemed to be trying to start a fight, as if she thrived on the drama. She actually reminded him of his aunt, Lydia, who would also find something malicious to say no matter what was going on. And, the fact that she only seemed to target her children and left their significant others alone, was hardly a consolation. 

Darla was different from the last time they met, if only for the fact that she wasn’t trying to hit on him. She had, according to Molly, stolen every boyfriend away from her, even going as far as to sleep with her ex-fiance just days before the wedding. Unfortunately, she had found an all-new way to hurt her sister. 

Molly wanted kids, Sebastian knew that much for sure. He also knew that his girlfriend, who would turn thirty in the spring, worried that she was getting too old to have kids, having once told him that she had planned on being done with having kids at this point in her life. During dinner, Molly’s mother had gone as far as to tell her that at least she had her nieces and nephew, which was apparently “better, because you can spoil them and send them home,” and “If you hadn’t gotten cold feet with Daniel, you wouldn’t be an old maid now.” 

That’s when Molly excused herself, her mother getting genuinely offended because her daughter was being overly sensitive. 

Sighing out a last lungful of smoke, Sebastian pinched off the fire from his cigarette and put the butt in his pocket to throw away when he got inside. Grinning, he shook his head. When Molly had first requested that he stop throwing his cigarette butts on the ground, he had laughed it off and only did it in her presence to not get yelled at. Eventually, though, he had made a habit out of it, the only reason he could come up with as to why was simply that he loved his girlfriend. 

He needed to find her. Turning, he let himself back into the house, only to be met with a yelling match. 

“Mom, please calm down,” Simon’s voice carried from the dining room.

“No, you kids have always loved your father more! Mom’s always been the crazy one. Well, you know what, your dad spoiled all of you. I may be crazy, but at least I taught you all how to be independent! I regret that though. Maybe if I hadn’t you’d all need me around more now! Maybe I’ll just put a gun to my head. You’ll see how much you miss mom when you’re scrubbing my brains off the wall!”

“What the fuck?” gasped Sebastian, disbelieving what he was hearing. 

“Right?” Replied Jonas, who Sebastian had missed sitting on the living room sofa. “I did not sign up for this. She told me she was on the pill and now I’m stuck.” 

So, that was the story… Sebastian made a mental note to tell Molly about that later. 

“Where are the kids?” He demanded.

“Beth took them upstairs to their rooms when the yelling started. 

“Thank Yoba!” Sebastian declared. This was how Molly had grown up? How often had she heard fights like this one? It was no wonder she had such bad anxiety. 

Sebastian decided to find his girlfriend as Barbara yelled from the next room that if someone was looking for a fight, she would win. He was not going to get involved with that. Simon, with his military background, was more than capable. 

Making his way down the flight of stairs, he headed for the den where he and Molly would be staying. She wasn’t there. Next, he checked the downstairs bathroom with the same result. Molly was actually hiding somewhere and if he wanted to find her, he was going to need to snoop around the house. 

After checking the extra rooms downstairs, one where Darla and her boyfriend would be sleeping, the other where Jerry would be sleeping, Sebastian headed back upstairs, doing a U-turn to head from the main floor to the second floor. The yelling carried up the stairs but grew quieter as he headed down the hall.

Pausing at the first door, he leaned his ear toward it, listening. The sounds of Beth and the two children playing could be heard along with the sounds of a children’s movie being played with the volume turned up. Good. The kids didn’t need to hear what was going on downstairs. Hell, he didn’t need to hear what was going on downstairs. The next two doors were open as he made his way further down the hall. One room was the bathroom, the other was the Master bedroom. He stopped as he heard soft singing, recognizing the voice anywhere. He crept quietly to the end of the hallway, not wanting to interrupt, and peered around the door frame and into a nursery. 

“I know that it’s going to take some time and I have to admit that the thought has crossed my mind, that this might end up like it should,” Molly was softly singing the song that he wrote for her while swaying from foot to foot with baby June in her arms. “I’m going to say what I need to say and hope to god that it don’t scare you away. I don’t want to be misunderstood, but I’m starting to believe that this might be the start of something good.” She continued to hum softly as she lay the small baby in her crib and covered her with a thin blanket. “Good night, little Junimo.” 

Sebastian had to hold back a laugh. Junimo. It was a cute nickname. Junimo were mythical creatures that were said to help people in a time of need. They were described as being blob-shaped and having spindly arms and legs. Babies definitely looked like junimos, in Sebastian’s opinion. 

Molly jumped slightly as she turned around and saw Sebastian’s silhouette framed in the doorway. Sighing with a small smile, she walked to him and softly closed the door behind her as she left the room. From the dim light of the hallway, Sebastian could see that her eyes were puffy from tears. He hated seeing her that way.

“How long have you been standing there?” She questioned with a smile.

“Come here,” He replied, ignoring her question and pulling her close. “You okay?” He felt her body relax into his as she heavily sighed.

“No.”

Times like these were when Sebastian would jump on his motorcycle and take a ride, just to clear his head, and if he had his motorcycle, he would take Molly away for a while. When he offered to take her for a drive in the hatchback, however, she refused, leaving him to come up with the next best thing to get her away from her family. He ushered her downstairs, past the yelling from the dining room where Darla had joined in, saying that she shouldn't be getting so stressed in her delicate condition. Rolling his eyes, he continued to steer his girlfriend with a fingertip touch to her lower back out the back door of the house.


	4. A Weekend Outing

The sounds of the television playing a too-loud children's cartoon awoke Sebastian from his slumber. Peeling his eyes open, he attempted to absorb his surroundings. The early morning sunlight that streamed in from the windows, was too bright and it made the slight headache that he had from sleeping on the stiff couch cushions feel even worse. Seated in front of the blaring T.V., Katie and Lucas each sat with a bowl of cereal on their laps as they watched the singing, colorful creatures on the screen dance around. 

Beginning to roll onto his side, he realized that he held Molly's soft, warm hand in his own. Looking over to her, he saw she was awake, stretched on her stomach along the opposite side of the sectional, arm above her head so she could hold onto her boyfriend's hand. Stretching his stiff body, he gave her hand two quick squeezes, making her look up at him with tired eyes.

Giving him a sleepy smile, she snuggled into her blanket, her eyes returning to the T.V. screen. Sebastian gave his pillow a light punch with his free hand in an attempt to fluff it up as his legs attempted to disentangle themselves from his blanket. With a heavy sigh, he let his body relax back into the cushions. 

'If this is domestic life, it's not so bad,' Sebastian thought to himself. The atmosphere was relaxed; lazy. The kids on the floor quietly ate their cereal as they stared, engrossed in the T.V. He let his eyes drift to the little creatures on the screen.

"Shh!" Said a blue creature with gray hair.

"What is it?" Asked the creature with both pink body and hair. "A bergan?"

"Maybe," blue whispered dramatically, before pausing for a long moment.

"There's no bergan is there?" pink asked, unamused. "You just said that so I'd stop talking!"

"Maybe..." blue whispered again as he began walking away. Both kids giggled softly. 

"Do these characters remind you of anyone?" Molly asked.

"Not really," Sebastian replied with a smirk, knowing Molly was referring to the two of them.

"Their relationship feels kinda familiar..." 

"Not a clue."

Molly looked over to him and stuck her tongue out making him chuckle lightly. It was nice to see her back to her normal self after the rough evening she had the night before. He rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling, recalling her pained words.

"It's not fair!" she had whispered angrily, wiping a tear from her face. "Darla has taken everything from me! My fiance, my chance to have kids, everything!" She had begun to pace back and forth in front of Sebastian as he sat on a wooden picnic table and smoked a cigarette. "Now she comes walking in... Pregnant... Engaged... I Should sleep with HER fiance!"

"Wow..." was all Sebastian managed to articulate. Molly seemed to realize what she had just said to her boyfriend with a horrified look on her face as she stopped in her tracks to look at him.

"I'm sorry..." She apologized. "You know I wouldn't..."

"No, it's ok, I know you wouldn't," Sebastian reassured her gently. "Besides, she'd deserve it."

"Yeah," Molly sighed, returning to her pacing. "But you wouldn't... Darla doesn't even like kids!" she began to rant again. "She never wanted them. She never wanted to be tied down to one guy. She never wanted a family! But I did! I still do..."

Sebastian hadn't known what to say. He, of course, knew Molly wanted kids. His cheeks grew red with embarrassment at the memory from just the week before, when he had found her birth control pills in the trash with a week's worth of pills still in the pack and in anger, he had confronted her about it. Molly had to sit her fuming boyfriend down and explain that the last pills of a birth control pack are placebos to keep up the habit of taking them every day and that, no, she wasn't trying to trap him. 

"Sebby," Molly said, breaking him from his thoughts. "Go pee for me."

"No, you go pee for me," he replied in what had become their usual morning banter. "I peed for you yesterday. It's your turn."

"How do you guys go pee for each other?" Lucas questioned, looking away from the T.V.

"We don't," Molly groaned as she sat up. "We're just joking." 

"Oh..." Lucas replied. "Because that would be cool." 

"I agree, my dude," Molly laughed, standing up and walking from the room. 

"I call Aunt Molly's spot!" Katie laughed, abandoning her cereal bowl on the floor and jumping up onto the sectional. 

"Nu-uh. I'm older," Lucas insisted, jumping up too. 

By the time Molly came back from the bathroom, the two children had thoroughly settled into her spot, but she seemed unfazed and walked past the spot where she had slept and, lifting Sebastian's blanket, wedged herself onto the couch next to him, pulling the blankets and his arm around her. 

“You forgot to pee for me,” Sebastian said through a mouthful of blue hair.

“Oops,” Molly replied, unapologetically. Sebastian simply sighed as She snuggled in closer and he realized that he wouldn’t get his turn in the bathroom for a while. They lay in the quiet room, following the adventures of the singing and dancing cartoon creatures, long enough that Sebastian began to doze off again. Molly turning on their narrow bed to face him jarred him awake from his half sleep. 

“What’s up?” he asked, groggily as Molly smirked at him.

“You’re getting a little too comfortable,” she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. He cocked an eyebrow at her in question and she moved her hips against him in reply.

“Oh…” he murmured as a pink tinge splashed across his face and he attempted to move away from his girlfriend as if she hadn’t been witness to his morning wood a hundred times already. She laughed at his ridiculousness and kissed him on his burning cheek.

“So, after last night, I don’t really want to be around here today,” Molly whispered. 

“I can understand that,” Sebastian replied, returning himself to a comfortable position.

“I think we should just go and get you a couple of new outfits for your certification class…” Molly was cut off by a loud groan from her boyfriend. His certification class. He had been trying to forget about it since his boss requested he take it. He was a freelance computer programmer, but he worked for a company called Ferngill Programming Associates, which basically found his jobs for him, letting him decide which ones to take and which to leave. And although this certification would come with a pay raise for him…

“I don’t wanna go!” he whined. Normally, he would jump at the chance to go spend a few days in the city by himself. But that was before Molly. He had just moved in with her and they were just starting to settle into a nice routine that he didn’t want to disturb. Plus, he was riding the high of the honeymoon phase of the relationship and wanted to make it last as long as he could. 

“Quit it,” Molly growled at him. “You’re going whether you like it or not.”

______________________________________________________________________

 

Sebastian felt stupid as he stood in the dressing room of a large department store in the mall. Clad in dress khakis and a polo, he sighed heavily through his nose, knowing Molly wanted to see him in his outfit before they bought it. He didn’t want to even leave the dressing room. Turning, he hesitated a long moment with his hand gripping the door handle and pulled the door open. Molly looked up from her phone, a stunned look briefly crossing her face before a beaming smile took over.

“Wow,” she gushed making Sebastian roll his eyes. “You look so nice!” He groaned slightly as he looked down at himself. “Do you like it?” Giving her an incredulous look, her face fell with a small sigh. “Stupid question. I’m sorry.”

“It’s… fine,” Sebastian relented, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the door frame of the dressing room. Molly grinned, knowing her boyfriend would say anything to be finished with clothes shopping. If it wasn’t a pair of holey, black jeans and a t-shirt with some band’s logo on it, covered by his sacred black hoodie, Sebastian didn’t want to wear it. 

“You only have to dress like this for a few days,” Molly reminded him gently.

“I know, it’s fine. I just look like a tool.”

“You are a tool,” she teased, pulling another eye roll from him as he turned his back to her and shut the door behind him. 

Upon purchasing three nearly identical outfits, the couple began walking through the maze of the store toward, what they hoped, was the exit. Sebastian, while feeling irritated at the outing, could only shake his head slightly and sigh each time Molly stopped to more closely inspect something that caught her attention.

“Hey Seb,” Molly chuckled as they walked through the women’s intimate wear section. She plucked a nightgown from a rack, holding it up to her front. It was a strange green-yellow color and had a floral print adorning the box-y garment. It looked like something an eighty-year-old woman would wear. “Is this doing anything for you?”

“Oh, baby, you know what I like,” he replied sarcastically in a monotonous tone, turning and walking away. Molly snorted, putting back the garment and jogging to catch up with her boyfriend. 

“You wanna get some fro-yo?” Molly asked as they finally exited the department store, interrupting Sebastian’s grumbling about why the check out registers were located in the middle of the store. 

“What the hell is fro-yo?”

“You know,” Molly replied with a smile and a shrug. “Frozen yogurt. I just call it fro-yo.”

“You’re one of those girls that call celebrity couples by a stupid hyphenated name too, aren’t you?”

“It’s not stupid, it’s fun!” Molly insisted with a laugh. “I tried to come up with a couple name for us--”

“Please don’t.”

“--but the best I could come up with was Mol-astian, which sounds way too much like molestation.” 

Sebastian shook his head with a grin. His girlfriend was ridiculous and someone he would have never pictured himself with in a million years. And he loved her.

“Fine, we can get fro-yo,” he chuckled softly, pulling his phone from his pocket to check for messages he may have missed. 

“What’s up?” Molly questioned as he began to text.

“Sam’s bored, but Penny’s being moody and Abby is mean,” he replied in a bored tone. 

“Do you call me moody when I’m not around?” she asked, disapproval thick on her lips. 

“I call you moody when you’re right in front of me,” Sebastian replied without missing a beat.

“Hey!”

“See,” he grinned as he finally looked up from his phone and put it back in his pocket. 

"You're so mean to me," she grumbled, her expression pouty as they approached the frozen yogurt kiosk. 

"I tease because I love," he replied, gently bumping her arm with his elbow. She simply sighed, stepping forward to the woman who was patiently waiting at the cash register. 

The woman was quick to take their orders and prepare the frozen treats and soon Sebastian and Molly were seated across from each other at a cozy bistro table in the courtyard of the mall. As he used the small plastic spoon to mix pieces of brownies into his chocolate frozen yogurt, Sebastian attempted to think of more reasons for why he shouldn't go to the three day course to get his certification. 

“You know,” he began, not looking up at his girlfriend. “This whole certification is just going to be a huge waste of time. I probably already know everything they’re going to try and teach me… I mean, I can already do it. Why do I need a piece of paper that says I can? This is just going back to the whole college thing. Sure, I could be making six figures by now if I had the stupid piece of paper, but you know I can’t stand the whole structured learning thing… and just like college, this course is just a way to make us spend money that we don’t have to. Money for the class, food, the hotel… I dunno, it all just seems so frivolous.” Finally noticing that he hadn’t received any response from his girlfriend during his rambling, he looked up at Molly and found her staring off into the distance with her chin in her hand, her other hand absently stirring her strawberry frozen yogurt. “And then there’s you,” he continued on. “What if you need help on the farm? You know you’d be completely lost without my help. I mean I do the majority of the work!” 

He expected some kind of comment after that. Anything, as Molly was always asserting her independence and constantly told Sebastian how she did just fine on the farm before him and she could take care of the farm just as well by herself now. But she remained silent. Sebastian followed her line of sight and found that she was staring into the mall’s child play area, where a large group of two to six year olds where playing; laughing and squealing in delight. Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he looked back to Molly. 

Between spending time with her brand new niece and the announcement that her sister was pregnant, Sebastian knew that Molly’s internal time clock must be ticking loudly at her. He gave a sigh and reached a hand out, waving it in front of her face, snapping his fingers.

“Sorry, what?” Molly asked, snapping herself from her trance-like state and looking back at him. Sebastian chuckled softly and shook his head.

“Nothing,” he smirked. “...you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Molly insisted. “Just… Thinking.” She gave a small shrug looking down to her bowl of rapidly melting frozen yogurt. Leaning back in his chair, he scrutinized the woman before him for a long moment before he had an idea.

“You know… You’ve had a bad weekend,” he began, leaning forward again, bringing him closer to Molly. “What do you say I buy you something nice?” 

“I don’t need anything,” Molly chuckled, spooning some frozen yogurt into her mouth.

“I know you don’t need anything,” Sebastian countered. “If you needed it, you’d buy it for yourself. Let me spoil you one in a while.”

“Fine,” Molly relented. “What do you want to get me?”

“What do you want?” he replied with a smile. Molly sat in a puzzled silence for a long moment before a smile spread across her face. 

"What about something for both of us?"


	5. A Mistake in Identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny's problem is revealed and unfortunately, it's Molly's problem now too!

“I love it,” Molly cooed, running a hand along the freshly-made new bed. It had taken almost a week for it to be delivered, but she was sure the wait would be completely worth it once they crawled into it for the night. The old mattress that had come with the farmhouse had needed replacing long before she even moved in. 

 

“It’s definitely taller than the old mattress,” Sebastian commented from where he leaned against the bedroom door frame.

 

“That’s because of the nice squishy pillow top,” Molly smiled, poking the mattress with her finger. 

 

“I’ll just be happy that I won’t be getting stabbed by a rogue spring all night anymore,” he replied.

 

“I’m sure we’ll both be sleeping better,” she sighed, turning to look at the new bed again as Sebastian pushed away from the door and approached her. His arms snaked around her middle from behind.

 

“Should we break it in?” he whispered, lips brushing the shell of her ear.

 

“Seb!” she giggled, flinching away from the unexpected tickling sensation.

 

“What?” he teased, pulling her close again and beginning to kiss her neck. She simply giggled again as soft yet firm hands worked their way under the front of her shirt. Skillfully, he lifted the t-shirt up and over her head, depositing it on the floor.

 

“You’re terrible,” she mumbled with a grin, turning and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. 

 

“I’m not hearing a no,” he teased, the words muffled as Molly pressed her lips to his. Molly stepped backward, away from him, and with a small jump, flopped backward onto the new mattress. No groaning springs protested her movements, only the soft  _ wumph  _ on the comforter beneath her. 

 

Sebastian needed no further invitation. Pulling his own shirt over his head, he tossed it to the floor with Molly’s shirt before crawling onto the bed and hovering over her.

 

Gentle lips began to trail down the side of Molly’s neck as her finger entwined themselves in Sebastian’s hair. Feather light touches dragged the strap on her bra down over her shoulder as his lips continued to trail downward. Continuing to tug at her bra, Sebastian eventually had one of her breasts exposed and let his lip glide on the soft tissue until he was able to swirl his tongue around the rapidly stiffening nipple. 

 

A strong hand rubbed between her legs on the outside of her jeans causing a soft sigh to escape her mouth. Sebastian always knew exactly how to touch her to turn her on and she gently tugged his hair, his face turning back to hers, lips meeting once again.

 

He had just started the process of unbuttoning her jeans when the cell phone on the nightstand began to vibrate loudly as an incoming call came in.

 

“Don’t you dare,” Sebastian mumbled, his lips still on his girlfriend as she stiffened to move.

 

“Seb…” she scolded playfully as she rolled away from him.

 

“No!” he tried to grab at her as she wiggled away and let out a defeated groan as she stood up.

 

“They wouldn’t be calling if it wasn’t important,” Molly smiled as her boyfriend rag-dolled on the bed, pouting. She barely looked at her cell phone before answering it. “Hey, Penny!”

 

“Hi Molly,” came Penny’s voice. It lacked it’s usual cheerfulness and gave an air of stress. “Are you busy?”

 

“No, I’m not busy,” Molly replied making Sebastian groan loudly again. “What’s up?” As she spoke she began adjusting the clothes that were still on her. “

 

“I was just wondering if you could come over,” Penny requested.

 

“Sure,” Molly said, stepping out of Sebastian’s reach as he tried to grab for the waist of her jeans. “Everything alright?”

 

“Yeah!” Penny replied, too quickly. “...er… No, actually… I’ll tell you when you get here?”

 

“Of course, I’ll be there soon.”

 

“Thanks, Molly.”

 

“No problem, see you in a few.”

 

They said their goodbyes and Molly disconnected the call. She looked at the disappointed face of her boyfriend and began buttoning her pants.

 

“I just need ten minutes!” Sebastian pleaded one last time, knowing it would do no good. Molly laughed, coming around the end of the bed to retrieve her t-shirt.

 

“The bed will still be here later,” She smiled. “We have all the time in the world to properly break it in.”

 

“But I wanted to break it in now,” Sebastian pouted again. Molly leaned over him, cupping his face in her hands and kissing him long and tenderly on the mouth. She ended the kissed rubbing the end of her nose against his and he sighed, defeated again. “Fine, but you owe me!” 

  
  
  


It hadn’t taken Molly long to make the walk into Pelican Town and she waved lazily to Alex Mullner, who was standing by the small fenced in area that his dog, Dusty, lived in. The dog gave a deep  _ woof _ as she came near and she stopped just long enough to scratch the large mutt behind the ears before moving along to the trailer that sat near the river.

 

She waited for a long moment after knocking on the rickety screen door and was about to knock again when Penny finally opened the door. Molly was slightly alarmed when she saw the redheaded woman; Something was definitely wrong. She could tell Penny had been crying, despite the feeble smile that she gave Molly as she invited her inside. 

 

“What’s going on?” Molly asked, her voice full of worry as Penny closed the door behind her. 

 

“Molly, I’m sorry,” Penny began, her eyes filling with tears again. “I didn’t know who else to call… I’m in trouble. A lot of trouble.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“I’m… I think I’m… pregnant,” She whispered the last word as if she were afraid of being overheard in the empty trailer. Molly paused for a long moment, taking in the worried face of her friend.

 

“You think you’re pregnant or you are pregnant?” She questioned seriously. 

 

“I don’t know,” Penny sighed. “My period was due at the end of Summer and it still hasn’t come…”

 

“Penny, that was almost an entire season ago!” Molly gasped.

 

“Yeah…” Penny moaned, tears slipping down her cheeks.

 

“Ok, let’s calm down and just breathe,” Molly stated as she gave an exaggerated sigh that Penny mimicked. “Let’s go see Maru at the clinic. She’ll give you a test--”

 

“No!” Penny interrupted. “No, that’s why I called you. I don’t want anyone to know! If I go see Maru at the clinic then it’ll have to go in my medical chart and Harvey will know and I just don’t want that. I don’t want anyone to know. I trust you not to say anything…”

 

“Ok…” Molly relented, pausing to think. “Well, the first thing we need to do is find out for sure… Let’s go buy an at home test.”

 

“I don’t have the money,” Penny sobbed. “And even if I did what if someone saw me?” 

 

“How about I just go and buy it and then I’ll bring it back here?”

 

“...Okay,” Penny agreed after a long moment. 

 

Molly gave a solemn nod to her friend as she turned and opened up the door to the trailer. Stepping back out into the afternoon sun she turned and began walking in the direction of Pierre’s General Store. Stopping in her tracks, she considered her destination. Buying a pregnancy test from Pierre’s was definitely not the way to keep things a secret, as everyone shopped at Pierre’s. She changed directions. She hated shopping at Joja Mart, but if she was going to be discreet, she would need to make a sacrifice.

 

She crossed the cobbled stone bridge that led to the other side of the river and approached the giant store. The doors opened automatically as she stepped up to them and she entered into the much too cool interior of the store. Taking a hand basket from beside the sliding glass doors, she looked around the vast open space, suddenly realizing she had no idea where anything was located. 

 

Turning, she headed for one end of the store. She would just have to act casually, strolling the aisles until she found what she needed. This proved to be a good strategy, as she found herself taking other things from the shelves and padding her shopping basket with them. Once she checked out, she thought to herself, the test would just blend in with everything else she was buying. 

 

Finally finding the section she was looking for after what felt like going through the whole store, Molly was shocked to see the variety of products. Scanning the shelves, looking at the different prices and features of each test, Molly stopped and looked around, nervously, making sure that no one saw that she was there. Reaching out, she knocked the first test that her hand touched into her basket and continued down the aisle. 

 

Setting her basket down on the counter next to the Joja employee, Molly let herself breathe a sigh of relief. She was going to manage a clean escape. All she needed was for the cashier to scan her items faster. 

 

The register made a series of beeps, making the cashier breathe heavily through her nose. Attempting to scan the carton of ice cream again, the register made the same series of beeps. Picking up the corded phone next to her, the cashier spoke clearly into the mouthpiece.

 

“Price check on ice cream: aisle one. Price check on ice cream: aisle one.”

 

Molly deflated. Apparently, she wasn’t going to get away in a hurry, after all, she decided as the cashier waited before ringing up any other items. Nerves got the best of Molly and she began to awkwardly shift from foot to foot, watching as the cashier blew a bubble with her gum.

 

“Finally,” the cashier muttered. Molly’s heart sank into her stomach as she saw the man approaching, a mass of blond hair poking out from the bottom of his blue Joja Mart baseball hat. 

 

“Hey, Molly!” Sam beamed at her in his usual manner. “What’re you doing here? I thought you hated Joja Mart.”

 

“Hey, Sam,” Molly replied, smiling nervously. 

 

“How much are the pints of Peanut Butter Party?” The cashier asked in a monotonous, bored voice. Without missing a beat, Sam scooped up the carton of ice cream from beside Molly’s basket and glanced at it. The pounding in her chest had Molly convinced that her heart was about to explode.

 

“This whole brand is on sale,” Sam declared. “Two for four hundred gold. You want me to go grab you another...one?” Molly swore her heart completely stopped as she watched Sam’s eyes shift to her basket where the pregnancy test was clearly visible and she prayed that Yoba would send lightning from the rafters of the building and strike either herself or Sam down dead; at this point, she didn’t care which.

 

“No, thanks,” she squeaked as Sam looked back to her with wide eyes. The cashier, either oblivious or completely uncaring of the interaction between the two friends, entered the price of the ice cream into the register manually before continuing on with scanning the rest of the items.

 

“Molly…” Sam began as he looked at the blue haired woman with wide, blue eyes. 

 

“No!” she insisted, without the question even being asked.

 

“Molly!” He yelled excitedly.

 

“No!” Molly repeated.

 

“MOORE!” Came an angry shout, making both Sam and Molly jump. A small man with black, greased back hair came storming up. “Get back to work! I’m not paying you to stand around.”

 

“Sorry, sir,” Sam said, backing up a step. “I was just doing a price check.”

 

“Go help Shane unbox that shipment of bananas and make sure they don’t all get bruised this time.”

 

“Yes, sir…”

 

Sam gave Molly one last glance, deciding whether to say anything or not and settled for giving her an excited thumbs up before turning and walking away. As the cashier gave Molly her total, she wondered how she was going to explain away this misstep.

  
  
  


“Remove the plastic cap to expose the absorbent tip,” Molly said, speaking loudly from where she was seated on the floor outside of the bathroom door in Penny’s trailer. “Place the tip in the urine stream and keep there for a full seven to ten seconds.”

 

“Okay…” came Penny’s soft reply from the other side of the door. Molly waited. From Joja Mart, Molly had come immediately back to Penny’s trailer, greeting the nervous looking girl inside and completely skipping over the detail that Sam had seen her purchase. Penny was worried enough and Molly decided not to worry her any further with that small detail. She would figure out how to explain it away at a later time. “Okay, done.”

 

“Recap the device and place it horizontally on a clean, flat surface,” Molly continued the instructions through the door. 

 

“Okay.”

 

“Don’t forget to wash your hands,” Molly joked. She got no response but heard the tap turn on and soon after, turn back off. Penny opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

 

“Now what?” she questioned, a slight shake to her voice. Molly looked down at the sheet of instructions in her hands and read.

 

“We wait for five minutes,” she replied, and took her phone from her pocket, bringing up the clock and starting a timer. Penny sighed loudly, turning and walking across the room to slump into the booth style seating that made up the trailer’s dining area. 

 

“Longest five minutes of my life…” she commented, resting her chin in her hand. “Molly, I don’t know what I’m going to do! There’s no way I can have a baby right now.”

 

“I thought you were on the pill,” Molly commented as she stood and made her way toward the table to join her friend.

 

“No, I can’t afford it. Our health insurance won’t pay for it,” She replied sadly. “Sam buys condoms, but…”

 

“But?” Molly pressed.

 

“But he was out,” Penny confessed. “He promised to pull out, and I thought he did...” Penny seemed to become more distressed with each word and Molly had to think quick on how to calm her down.

 

“Hey, let’s be sure you’re actually pregnant before you start freaking out, okay?”

 

“There’s no way I’m NOT,” Penny stated, her voice starting to shake again. “My period is never late. My clothes are all tight on me. I have to pee constantly. I’m nauseous in the mornings… The other day I wanted onion rings so bad that I don’t know what I would have done if Gus hadn’t been able to make me any.” 

 

“Well, I mean, when you say it like that, sure, it doesn’t look good,” Molly replied. “But maybe it’s all just coincidence.”

 

“Molly…”

 

“I mean, I’ve been peeing a lot lately too, because I’ve been trying to drink more water and, let’s face it, who doesn’t get a craving for onion rings every now and again. In fact, now that you’ve said it, I want some onion rings right now.”

 

Penny chuckled sadly at Molly’s attempts to cheer her up. The phone on the table began to vibrate loudly, startling both girls as the timer went off. Penny looked to Molly, he face even paler than it’s usual ivory tone, the freckles on her cheeks standing out in dark contrast. Switching off the alarm, Molly looked to Penny.

 

“I can’t do it,” Penny whispered. “I can’t look.” Nodding, Molly stood up from the table and crossed the room. “Wait!” Molly turned abruptly, looking to her friend. “If I’m pregnant, Molly… I can’t keep this baby.” Molly’s stomach dropped and she moved back across the room to sit back in her seat. 

 

“I think that’s something to think long and hard about,” she said, taking one of Penny’s shaking hands into her own.

 

“It’s been all I’ve thought about for weeks!” Penny cried.

 

“Still,” Molly continued on. “It’s something that you should talk through with Sam, and--”

 

“No,” Penny interrupted. “No, Sam can’t know.”

 

“Why not?” Molly questioned, aghast.

 

“Because…” Penny paused looking for the best way to explain her feelings. “Sam is… He’s immature.” She sighed heavily. “I love him, Molly, really I do, but… I just can’t see raising a baby with him. He’s got these big dreams of becoming a rock star and I don’t want to be the one to tell him that it’s probably not going to happen. He works part-time; has basically no life skills because Jodi does everything for him.”

 

“But still, by not telling him, you’re not even going to give him the chance to man up.”

 

“Please, Molly, I’m begging you,” she said, letting her free hand grip tight over Molly’s. “This has to stay just between the two of us.”

 

“Alright,” Molly relented with a sigh. “Either way, we need to see what the test says.”

 

Penny released her grip on Molly’s hands, sitting back in her seat. Standing, Molly gave Penny one last sympathetic look before turning and walking back toward the bathroom. She entered the tiny room, looking to the counter. She hovered over the stick for a moment, trying to decipher what she was seeing. She picked up the stick, squinting at it. There was definitely a pink line and, maybe what could have been another pink line. But, it was faint. And wasn’t there supposed to be a plus sign if you were pregnant? 

 

“Penny!” Molly shouted into the other room. “Will you look at the instructions and see if two lines means you’re pregnant or if there needs to be a plus sign?” She waited a long moment, but could only hear the voices coming from the TV. Molly wondered when Penny had turned on the TV. She let the bathroom, the test stick still in her hand. “Penny?”

 

She was greeted by the sight of Pam, looking at her with a sly smile on her face. Without thinking, Molly quickly hid the test behind her back, knowing that the damage had already been done. At least, if her mother knew, Penny would be forced to talk about her decision to end her pregnancy with her and, hopefully, she’d talk to Sam too. 

 

“Congratulations,” Pam chuckled at Molly. 

 

“Wh-what?” Molly stammered, not quite understanding what Pam was congratulating her for. 

 

“Don’t worry,” Pam replied with a wink. “Ol’ Pam knows how to keep her mouth shut. I won’t say anything.” 

 

Molly’s mind went blank. Pam thought she was the one who was pregnant. Looking to Penny for any kind of help, she realized she was on her own. Looking equally horrified, Penny’s wide eyes darted between her mother and Molly.

 

“Uhh… Thanks,” Molly stammered, her mouth dry. 

 

“I remember when I was pregnant with Penny,” Pam stated, a slight drunken slur to her words. “I wanted her daddy to be the first to know. “So as soon as you get home and tell him, you let me know. This town will throw you the biggest baby shower you’ve ever seen!” 

 

“Thank you, Pam…” Molly replied, not knowing what else to say. “I… I had better get going. Umm… Penny?”

 

“Yeah! I’ll walk you!” Penny cried, standing up quickly. Without another word, the two girls exited the trailer. As they got to the fenced-in area that enclosed Dusty the dog, Molly leaned against the fence in a daze. “Molly, I’m so sorry,” Penny whispered. “I thought you heard her come in. I thought that’s what was taking you so long in the bathroom; that you were hiding the test or something.”

 

“It’s okay…” Molly sighed, feeling the opposite of okay. First Sam had seen her buying the test and now Pam had heard the results of the test… How long until the entire town was buzzing about Molly’s nonexistent pregnancy. If Molly had to guess, she would say not long. “Here,” Molly said, handing over the stick in her hand to her friend. 

 

“Thanks,” Penny mumbled, looking down at it. “Two lines means pregnant…” Molly simply nodded in response. “I’m going to go back home. Thanks for everything you did for me today.”

 

Molly sighed as she watched her friend push herself away from the fence and start back toward the trailer. She only stood there a moment longer before she began to take her own walk home. The sun was beginning to set and she wondered what Sebastian wanted to do for dinner. She thought about making a detour at the Stardrop Saloon and grabbing a pizza when her phone vibrated in her pocket.

 

Taking it out, she saw a text from Sam.

 

**I just got off work**

**OMG**

**Do you have a bun in the oven?**

**Have you told Seb?**

**I’m gonna be an uncle!**

**No!**

**I’m not pregnant**

**Don’t tell Seb anything!**

 

Angrily, she shoved her phone back in her pocket, storming back toward the farm. 

 

By the time she got there, she had worked up a sweat, but at least she had worked off some of the frustration of having Penny’s problem being mistaken for her’s. She walked up the front steps of the farmhouse with trepidation. If she knew Sam like she thought she did, then Sebastian already knew that she had purchased a pregnancy test. Now she just needed to figure out how to explain it away without revealing her friend’s secret. 

 

Pushing open the front door that always seemed to stick with a loud scrape, Molly entered her home. Sebastian was seated on the old threadbare sofa in the living room, already in a pair of pajama pants with his bare feet up on the coffee table. Barely glancing up at her as she closed the door, he looked completely at ease as his eyes returned to the game that he was playing.

 

“Hey,” he greeted as she walked over to him and sat down. “I didn’t know how long you were going to be at Penny’s so I just heated up some leftovers for dinner… I can heat you up something too if you want.”

 

“Nah, it’s ok,” Molly replied, a vague sense of relief washing over her as she slumped into the sofa. “I can make myself something.” 

 

“What did Penny need?” he questioned casually.

 

“Oh…” she tensed again, thinking of an excuse. “She, uh, wanted me to… teach her how to cook.” Sebastian snorted.

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Yeah,” Molly replied. “Apparently, she is a horrible cook and wanted to start learning how, so she thought she’d ask me.”

 

“I can’t believe I got cockblocked for a cooking lesson…” Sebastian grumbled, hitting a series of buttons on his game controller. Molly chuckled. The afternoon had been so long that she had forgotten about abandoning him.

 

She felt horrible as it sunk in that she had just lied to Sebastian’s face. Although Penny’s secret wasn’t hers to share, it still didn’t feel like a good enough reason to do it. She and Sebastian had an agreement that they wouldn’t keep secrets from each other and yet, here she was. Keeping secrets and then lying about it. 

 

“I really wish I would have just stayed home,” Molly replied, honestly, curling up at her boyfriend’s side and resting her head on his shoulder.


	6. Spirit's Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spirit's Eve: a haunted maze, breaking, and entering, and ghosts?

“Seb, come on, I want to do the maze!” Molly insisted, tugging at his arm.

 

“Hang on,” he grumbled, looking into the cage filled with walking skeletons. “They look so real. I’m trying to figure out how their being controlled.”

 

“Wireless remotes,” Molly suggested, impatiently.

 

“Not for something this complex,” he replied, waving a hand out in front of him. “Look. You can’t even see any wires on the skeletons.”

 

“Honey, I love it when you nerd out, really I do, but I want to get the golden pumpkin before someone else does!” Molly demanded, tugging on his sleeve again.

 

“Holy shit, you’re like a child!” Sebastian laughed, finally turning toward his discouraged girlfriend. 

 

“I am not!” she pouted, knowing full well that she was, in fact, acting like a child. Sebastian laughed again.

 

“Okay, come on, let’s go find your damn pumpkin.” He took her hand in his and they began walking toward the entrance to the maze. “Your hands are freezing,” He commented, bringing the hand he was holding to his mouth and breathing warm air on to it. Taking her hand between both of his, he began to vigorously rub it as they walked.

 

“Yeah, I’m going to need to order a pair of gloves soon,” she replied, pausing briefly to look into the booth that Pierre had set up outside the maze entrance. “Look at that creepy scarecrow. What do you think about having that on the farm?”

 

“I’d rather have a walking skeleton,” he muttered causing Molly to laugh. 

 

“Who’s being the child now,” she teased.

 

“I’m just saying a walking skeleton would be cool as shit!” he proclaimed. “It would keep crows away from your crops  _ and _ we would never have to worry about intruders!”

 

“That is very true,” Molly laughed as they fully entered into the maze. “Which way?”

 

“The trick to beating mazes,” Sebastian replied matter-of-factly, “is that you have to put your right hand on the wall and never let go.”

 

“I’m not going to go far if I never let go.”

 

“You know what I mean,” Sebastian scowled. Molly laughed as she turned right at the fork in the maze.

 

“Oh, creepy! Look!” she gasped as they rounded another corner and were met with zombie's hands poking up from the earth. As a hand lurched out and grabbed Molly by the ankle, she squealed, darting away further down the path. 

 

“Wait up!” Sebastian laughed chasing after her.

 

“Eww! It touched me and it felt so gross!” Molly cried, turning and waiting for Sebastian to catch up.

 

“It’s just a fake hand.”

 

“It’s didn’t feel fake!” Molly insisted as they continued down the path. “Ohh, haunted house?” The path had opened up to reveal a rundown looking house that appeared to be balanced on a pair of chicken legs.

 

“Baba Yaga’s house,” Sebastian replied. “An old Russian fairy tale about a deformed old woman that lives in the woods. She travels around in her hut that stands on chicken legs and depending on how she feels she’ll either help those that seek her out or _EAT_ _THEM!_ ” he yelled the last bit grabbing Molly by her sides and making her squeal again.

 

“Don’t do that!” she cried, smacking her laughing boyfriend on the shoulder. 

 

“Come on, this looks like a dead end,” he replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and turning her back the way they came. 

 

Making a few more twists and turns through the maze made them pass a lone television set that was broadcasting static and Alex Mullner who was trying to peer through the bushes, wondering aloud how he was supposed to get to whatever he was seeing. The path ahead opened up, revealing the town’s fountain. As they stepped out, they ran right into Abigail, who was making a hasty retreat from the maze.

 

“Spiders!” She proclaimed. “Nope! Nu-uh! Not happening!” She pushed past the pair, who looked at each other and shared a small laugh. Keeping right, as they had planned, they soon came upon Abigail’s spiders. Molly could see why Abigail had been distressed. The spiders looked so real; skittering back and forth in the open area.

 

“Molly, I’m going to need a really big shoe to take care of this one,” Sebastian remarked. “I know you like to catch and release, but…”

 

“I don’t even think bug spray will help with these,” Molly shuttered as they squeezed past the giant spiders. “How does the town afford these kinds of animatronics?” 

 

“No Idea,” he shrugged. The maze opened up again to reveal Sam and Penny standing close together in what appeared to be a graveyard.

 

“Oh, this is where the playground usually is,” Molly commented. “I wonder what they did with the equipment.” Sebastian simply shrugged again as they approached the other couple.

 

“Hey! There’s my O.T.P.” Sam gushed as he finally caught sight of them. “Having fun?”

 

“We saw Abby noping out when we were coming through,” Sebastian said. “I’m honestly surprised you got past the spiders.”

 

“I had my big brave girlfriend to hold my hand,” Sam laughed, making Penny smile and blush slightly. Molly wanted to pull Penny aside and ask her how she was doing since they had last spoken. She really hoped that Penny had considered what she had said and decided to talk to Sam, but it didn’t appear that way. 

 

“Movie night still on?” Sebastian questioned, his thumb gently stroking Molly hand that he still held in his. The gesture was so automatic that Molly wondered if he even realized he was doing it. 

 

“I’m always up for a little B and E,” Sam laughed, making Penny groan in disapproval.

 

“I don’t see why we can’t have movie night literally anywhere else,” Molly commented, voicing her own disapproval at the plan to break into the abandoned community center and spend the night. 

 

“Because what’s better than watching scary movies in a haunted building?” Sam laughed joyfully. 

 

“Haunted?” Molly asked, doubtfully.

 

“Everyone knows the old community center is haunted,” Sebastian replied. 

 

“Abby said she wanted to bring her spirit board and try to communicate with something from the other side,” Sam continued.

 

“No, absolutely not,” Molly stated vehemently. “I am not about to start pissing off ghosts. If Abby is bringing a spirit board, I’m not going. And if you get possessed, I’m not calling an exorcist.” Sebastian rolled his eyes with a small smile.

 

“We will tell Abby to leave the spirits alone,” he replied before returning his attention to Sam. “You find the golden pumpkin?”

 

“Nah,” he replied. “We thought we were going the right way, but the path up ahead just ends, so it must be somewhere else. Hey! Since we’re all already here, we should just head over to the community center and start getting things set up while the rest of the town is distracted.”

 

“Sure,” Sebastian shrugged.

 

“Hey! I want to get that pumpkin!” Molly demanded.

 

“Molly, I don’t even think the pumpkin is real. Nobody has ever been able to find it in all the years that the maze has gotten set up. Let’s just go. You’re freezing anyway.”

 

“Fine,” Molly relented, feeling her body shiver. 

 

“Sweet!” Sam proclaimed. “You grab the tech stuff; I’ll get snacks and shit. We’ll meet you outside the community center at midnight.”

  
  
  


The low rumble of thunder that was sure to bring the last rain of the season and, inevitably, the first snow of winter, masked the sound of breaking glass. Carefully reaching through the broken pane, Sam was able to unhook the latch that kept the window locked. Sticking from disuse, the window was eventually forced open as far as it would allow.

 

“Seb, squeeze that sexy, skinny ass through that window,” Sam commanded, making his best friend roll his eyes as he took a drag from his cigarette.

 

“I always have to do the bitch work,” he complained, pinching off the fire of his cigarette and putting the remainder back in his pack. 

 

“This is so illegal…” Molly muttered.

 

“Ah, what’s the worst that can happen?” Sam laughed, smacking Sebastian on his rear end as he prepared to hoist himself through the window. “It’s not like Mayor Lewis is going to call the cops or anything, even if he did catch us.” 

 

“Shit…” Sebastian swore, squeezing through the narrow opening. It was a tight fit, even for his lean frame. “Molly, your cooking is making me fat!”

 

“Quit complaining and get in there, tubby,” Abigail laughed, grabbing Sebastian by the shoes and giving him a hard push through the window. 

 

As his hands made contact with the floor, he gave a hiss of pain. Pushing himself to his knees, he looked down at his palms. In the darkness of the community center, he could see the blood beginning to pool around the shard of glass that was lodged in his hand. 

 

“God damn it, Abby!” he yelled. “There’s glass on the floor!”

 

“Are you okay?” came the worried voice of his girlfriend. 

 

“Yeah,” he sighed as he stood up. “I’m bleeding, though.” Bringing his palm close to his face so he could see it better in the dark, he grabbed the shard of glass between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it out with a quick jerk.

 

“Well hurry up and open the door,” came Maru’s voice through the window. “I brought a first aid kit, so I can patch you up.”

 

Sebastian gave his hand a sharp flick, sending dark red blood droplets across the dirty, hardwood floor. Looking at his palm again as he made his way to the front door, he watched as blood began to pool there again. Turning the lock on the large wooden door, he allowed access to his friends, who came rushing inside.

 

“Let me see,” Maru demanded, setting down her backpack and taking her half-brother’s hand into hers. 

 

“It’s fine,” he muttered as she bent forward to retrieve the first aid kit from the pack.

 

“Sebby, just let Maru take care of it,” Molly insisted, annoyance thick in her voice. 

 

“Did you pull the glass out?” Maru questioned.

 

“I’m not gonna leave it in my hand,” Sebastian spat back.

 

“You should have waited for me. Now it’s bleeding worse.”Sebastian sighed heavily at her scolding. “Molly, will you uncap a bottle of water for me?”

 

“Sure thing,” she replied before handing a bottle to Maru. 

 

Maru quickly set to work, first using the water bottle to clean the wound, then an antiseptic that caused Sebastian to hiss at the sting of it, then an antibiotic cream, and finally, bandages. Sebastian sat in patient boredom while she worked, listening to the others move around the dark space. 

 

“Where should I set up the spirit board?” Abigail called.

 

“No spirit board!” Molly replied.

 

“We should set everything up in the basement!” Sam said, excitedly.

 

“Why?” Penny gasped. “The main floor is spooky enough.”

 

“Sam’s right,” Sebastian commented, watching as his half-sister bandaged his hand. “We should go to the basement. If for nothing else than to make sure people don’t see the light from the projector.” 

 

Opening and closing his hand in a few test squeezes to make sure the bandage was secure, he mumbled a thanks to Maru. He crossed the room to Molly and hefted up his duffle bag that she had dragged inside. 

 

Leading the way, Sebastian wandered down a hallway leading off the main room, Sam following excitedly, close behind. Leading her girlfriend by the hand, Abigail yanked Maru after the pair of men, while Penny and Molly paused to share a brief look, both clearly unhappy about their future sleeping arrangements. 

 

Cell phone flashlights were illuminated as Sebastian opened the heavy wooden door, revealing a set of unstable looking stairs leading down. The cobwebs that lined the walls didn’t help the eerie atmosphere. 

 

“Be careful, guys,” Sam called over his shoulder as he began to follow his best friend down the stairs. Each stair groaned loudly to protest the weight of the person stepping on it, having not been used in years. Sneakers finally falling on the cobblestone floor, Sam spoke again. “Yes! This is creepy as fuck!” 

 

Sebastian silently agreed as he cast his flashlight around the derelict room. Cobwebs hung from the bare rafters. A large boiler sat at one side of the room, the door half falling off the hinges. Small mushrooms poked their heads above the dirt where cobbles had once been. A barrel sat next to a wall, partially filled with the material to start a fire in the boiler. 

 

“This’ll be perfect!” Abigail exclaimed. “We can make a fire in the boiler so we don’t freeze tonight! And we can project the movies onto that wall,” she said pointing to the blank wall across from the stairs.

 

“Can we clean up a little bit?” Penny questioned, standing close to Molly on the stairs. 

 

“What? It’s perfect!” Sam replied, aghast.

 

“Cobwebs mean spiders,” Molly gently reminded, shining her own light around.

 

“Oh… right,” Sam replied, his face falling. 

 

“Yeah, we’ll clean up some,” Sebastian replied, the duffle bag he carried hitting the ground with a loud  _ whumph _ . “Let’s get a fire going first so we can have some light.”

 

“And heat,” Molly added with a small shiver. Sebastian grinned as he leaned over the barrel to start making the fire. His girlfriend was always cold. He didn’t mind. To him, it just meant that she was always willing to cuddle up next to him. 

 

“I’ll take care of the fire if you let me borrow your lighter,” Sam offered, coming to stand next to his friend. “You can set up the projector and shit.” 

 

“Cool,” Sebastian replied, digging into his pocket and fishing out the cheap plastic lighter. Handing it to his friend, he turned and made his way to the duffle bag he had discarded on the floor and began digging out electronics. A flashlight appearing from over his shoulder illuminated the space he was working in.

 

“Need help?” Maru questioned. 

 

“Nah, I think I got it,” he replied. Pulling out a folded white sheet, he handed it to his sister. “But, you can find a spot to hang that up on the wall.”

 

“You got it!” she said, enthusiastically taking the sheet and meandering to the opposite side of the room. He smiled a bit. Since his half-sister had begun dating Abigail, he felt their relationship had dramatically improved. It could have been the fact that whether he liked it or not, Maru was spending more time in their company. Or, it could be that they had both miraculously matured as people. Okay, mostly himself. Whatever the reason, he was glad to finally be forming a relationship with her. 

 

The dark room was suddenly illuminated in a soft orange glow as Sam got the fire lit in the boiler. A quiet smattering of cheers filled the small space. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw his girlfriend using a paper towel to brush cobwebs from the low ceiling while Penny and Maru attempted to hang the white sheet. Abigail, being vertically inclined, began pulling out air mattresses and a hand pump to fill them. 

 

“So, almighty tech nerd,” Sam laughed, handing Sebastian his lighter. “How are we powering everything?”   
  


“Projector is hooked up to my phone,” Sebastian replied, opting to omit all the sarcastic comments that initially sprang into his head. “I brought an external power supply for when the phone battery starts to get low.” 

 

“What’re we going to do for a bathroom?” Penny questioned quietly.

 

“Ugh, we don’t have to use Sam’s bucket again do we?” Molly groaned, pulling a face as she threw the cobweb-covered paper towels into the fire. She was referring to the bucket that Sam had brought on their camping adventure during the summer. A simple five-gallon bucket with a toilet seat duct-taped to the top.

 

“Ahh, I forgot my bucket!” Sam scowled.

 

“We can check the actual bathroom here,” Abigail suggested, sounding out of breath as she continued filling mattresses with the hand pump. “Maybe the water is still on.”

 

“Could we get that lucky?” Penny asked.

 

“I’ll go check it out!” Molly volunteered, stepping around air mattresses, belongings, and tech equipment. 

 

“Be careful,” Sebastian stated with worry in his voice.

 

“Don’t worry, babe,” Molly teased, beginning to ascend the stairs. “I won’t let the ghosts get me!” 

 

Her confidence dwindled as she reached the top stair and pushed the door open to reveal the darkness beyond. Swallowing hard, she stepped forward, taking her phone from her pocket as the door closed on is rusted hinges behind her. 

 

The community center was as still as death, the only sounds coming from Molly herself: Her shaky breath, her heartbeat, the creak of boards beneath her feet. She scolded herself for volunteering for this. She had no idea where the bathroom was even located in this place. 

 

A squeaking sound made her whip her flashlight toward a small play hut that sat dilapidated in the corner of the main room. Shining her light around the rest of the room, she scowled.

 

“Very funny, guys,” she spat in annoyance. 

 

Following the dark hallway in front of her, she began to peer into rooms in search of the bathrooms. Her heart raced as the sound of the squeaking seemed to follow her. It was probably just rats. Old buildings like this one were bound to have any number of critters living in it. 

 

“Did I miss the bathrooms?” she muttered to herself as she came to the end of the hallway and turned back around. Looking up to the ceiling, she saw a faded blue sign with a man and woman stick figure on it and breathed heavily through her nose. She looked into the room to her right as a flash of lightning illuminated it and her heart leaped to her throat as she saw something move in the emptiness. 

 

Picking up her own pace, she hustled down the hall and around the corner until she found a door set into the wall next to the weird little hut that had the man and woman stick figures on it. Pushing it open, she waved a hand in front of her as she entered the dark room, knocking the cobwebs from in front of her. 

 

The light of her flashlight revealed a small bathroom. A single toilet along with a grimy sink and a dust-covered mirror filled the small space. Despite how filthy this bathroom was, she breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that she had at least found it. Now all she had to do was make sure the water worked.

 

Starting with the sink, she turned on the tap. The pipes groaned ominously for a brief moment and Molly was about to turn them back off when liquid began to pour out. The deep red water made Molly cry out as she saw it and scramble to turn the faucet off. 

 

Blood had just poured out of the sink. There was no denying it. The smell was so strong that she could smell it in the air and, panicked, she backed out of the room.  

 

The squeaking sound was practically in her ear and she whipped her phone light toward the sound. The play hut was filled with small creatures. Definitely not rats. Something else. They were the size of small pumpkins and shaped like apples. 

 

As they hopped toward her on too small legs, Molly began to retreat. Breathless and shaking with fear, she stared at the creatures as they advanced on her. They came in a multitude of colors and their tiny faces showed no fear of her presence. 

 

As she backed up another step, her sneaker caught on an uneven floorboard. She cried out as she fell backward and hit the floor with a thump. Tears began to well up in her eyes as the creatures came closer to her, hopping and squeaking. 

 

She screamed, the blood-curdling sound filling the empty space as one of the small creatures hopped onto her legs. The sound that came from Molly apparently scared the creatures and they began their own retreat back toward the hut. Tears spilled down Molly’s cheeks as she watched them in the shaking beam of her light.

 

The sound of footsteps thundering toward her finally pulled her attention away from the hut and when she looked back, the creatures were nowhere to be found. Had her imagination gotten away from her? Did she actually see something? No, she decided. She could still feel the weight on her legs where the little creature had been sitting on her. 

 

“Molly, are you ok?” Sebastian asked, kneeling down at her side, his voice full of worry. 

 

“There were things… in the hut!” she insisted, her flashlight beam still directed toward the hut. Sam, pulling out his own flashlight as Sebastian wrapped his arms around his girlfriend to comfort her, stepped toward the hut and bent down, peering inside. 

 

“Nothing,” Sam said, looking over his shoulder with a shake of his head. 

 

“I thought you said you wouldn’t let the ghosts get you,” Sebastian teased, wiping away a stray tear on Molly’s face with his thumb. 

 

“They were there!” she insisted. She held up her hands, forming a circle with her fingers. “They were this big and they squeaked and one touched me!” 

 

“Rats?” Penny suggested from where she stood, hugging her arms around herself. 

 

“No! I know what rats look like and these were not rats!” 

 

“Well, whatever they were, they’re gone now,” Maru stated, gently. 

 

Sebastian held Molly tight as she shook with fear. He had never seen her so scared. He was inclined to believe that she saw something, though he wasn’t sure what it could be. He shot a nasty look at Abigail when she spoke.

 

“Did you check the bathroom?”

 

“Blood came out of the sink,” Molly sniffled. 

 

“Blood?” Sebastian questioned, his brow furrowing. 

 

“It was dark red and I could smell it!” she insisted. The two men in the room shared a look and Sam began to move again, this time toward the bathroom. 

 

Peering into the dirty sink with his flashlight, he saw nothing unusual. Placing one hand on the faucet, he twisted the handle. Dark red liquid began to pour from the tap again. Using the heel of his hand, he banged on the tap a few times until the water began to run clear and he turned the faucet back off and exited the bathroom.

 

“Rust,” he revealed. “Just old iron pipes.” 

 

“See, it’s okay,” Sebastian soothed as Molly released a small whimper. “Totally normal.” 

 

“I swear I saw something,” Molly whispered, her tone pleading. 

 

“I know,” Sebastian replied, stroking her hair. “It’s gone now and I’ve gotcha.” 

 

“Hey, since we all know the bathroom works,” Sam began happily, taking the attention away from Molly. “We should all pee since we’re all here and then go back down stairs to watch a movie!” 

 

There were several sounds of agreement and people began to move toward the bathroom as Sebastian helped Molly off the floor. 

 

“I want to go home,” Molly whimpered, as she buried her face into Sebastian’s shoulder. 

 


End file.
